Rotary engine



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

ROBERT LEUOHSENRING, OF NEW BEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS.

ROTARY ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 225,226, dated March 9, 1880.

Y Application filed December 2, 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that LROBERT LEUcHsEN- RING, of New Bedford, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rotary Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this speci-` catiomin which- Figure l is a vertical longitudinal central section of my improved rotary engine. Fig. 2 is a vertical central transverse section of the same, showing two of the valves in vertical position,the piston having been turned so as to bring the valves in the line of section. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the piston and valves through two of the pins and one of the springs for coupling the valves.

My invention relates to an improvement in the rotary engine which has a cylindrical case provided with an eccentric sector-shaped abutment and an inlet-pipe on one side of its center and an outlet-pipe on-the other side thereof, and in which case a rotary piston with straight radially-sliding valves controlled by said abutment and by' connecting-rods and springs is applied.

The nature of my invention will be fully understood from the subjoined description and accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a cylinder; B, two heads thereof, with the usual stuffing-boxes b O, the rotary piston, formed with the main shaft c ,1 D, iiat radially-sliding valves E, inlet, and F outlet, pipes; and X, a fly-wheel.

The cylinder A is at one side provided with suitable bosses a, and to the upper one of these the inlet-pipe E is fastened, and to the lower one the outlet-pipe F, as shown. Between the ports to these inlet and outlet pipes a tapering or eccentric sector, G, is fastened, and it forms the moving abutment of the pistonvalves, as presently described. The thinner end g of this sector-abutment terminates at the lower side of the port of the outlet-pipe F, and the thicker end g at the Zenith of the cylinder, it forming a straight vertical shoulder-at this point. The backof the sector-abutmentis provided with a channel, g2, which, in conjunction with a similar channel, c2, at the inner terminus of the port to the inlet-pipe E, forms a steam or water passage, e, connecting the inlet with the interior of the cylinder. Itis also provided on its concave side., beginning about midway of the port of the outlet-pipe F, Y

with a shallow channel, g3, for a purpose presently described.

Near the upper terminus of the sector G a transverse plate, H, and a spring, h, are tted, being set into an inverted-T-shaped recess formed in the concave side of the sectorabutment, as shown. The spring h forces the plate H down upon the periphery of the piston and packs it water and steam tight.

The piston O is cylindrical in form, and is provided with a number of plates or valves, D, fitted into and sliding in diametrically-arranged valve ways or seats d in the piston. These valves are moved back and forth radially, and are pressed against the inner cylindrical surface of the cylinder A and sectorabutment G by means of spiral springs i and shouldered pins I. Two or more of the shouldered pins are provided for each valve, to which they are attached by reduced ends i on one end of the pins, which ends are inserted into the valves up to the inner shoulders of the pins. The other ends, i2, of the pins are also stepped or reduced, and are inserted into the spiral springs i.

The pins I and springs i are of equal diameter, and are fitted in diametrical guide-holes j', drilled through the cylinder forming the piston, from one valve-seat to the other, as shown. The length of the ends of the pins which are entered into the springs is such that they do not touch one another when the valves are fully moved outward and inward, and thus the springs always form a hollow intermediate spring-cushion between the valves, and at the same time the springs serve as couplings between the valves.

By this mode of applying the valves each one is free to move outward independent of its fellow valve when the sector-abutment is no longer causing the valves to move outward; and as there is not the friction ot" one valve to be overcome by the spring which is forcing out the fellow valve thereof, a more prompt self-operation of the valves through the agency IOO of the springs alone at the moment they are beyond the action of the abutment G is insured.

About the center of the bottom of each valve way or seat a small pit, K, is provided, and this is connected with an escape-passage, k, leading to the surface of the cylinder ahead of the valve-seat or in front ofthe valve.

By this lmeans any Water which, by reason of leakage, will collect at the bottom of the valve-seat and would hinder the passage of the valve back into its seat when arriving opposite the sector G is conducted off, and by means of the channel g3 is allowed to unite with the general exhaust of the engine.

The piston C bears against the portion of the sector between the upper end of the channel g3 and packing-plateH, and at this point of contact the piston and plate are shaped so as to be concentric with each other and t one another steam-tight.

- y One of the heads B is provided, as usual,

with set-screws L, which bear against the flange of the cylinder, whereby the side pressure or packing action of the head against the ends ofthe piston and valves is adjusted, and

the head-bolts l may be drawn as tight as reqniredwithout creating too much bind between the piston and valves on one side and the cylinder-heads on the other side.

rlhe inlet-pipe E is provided with a small inner air-inlet pipe, M, having a springvalve, m, at its end near the sector G, and opening at its outer end, through the side of the pipe E, into the atmosphere, as indicated at m. This pipe M furnishes air to the engine when the water-supply in the pipe E is cut off, and thereby prevents the formation of a vacuum in the cylinder A before the flywheel stops, which vacuum if formed would cause the engine to move backward.

The rotary engine as herein described is intended to be driven by water-power; but it may be driven by either water or steam, and, if desired, may be employed as a pump.

When the engine is used for steam the channels g3 may be dispensed with; so, also, may the passages K la; or these portions may be temporarily plugged, if found in any Way ob- 5o jectionable to the operation of the engine as a steam-motor.

When the engine is used as a pump its conand no passage be formed at m.

struction will be the same as when worked by steam, and the mouth, at m', of the pipe Mv will be plugged, so as to prevent the entrance of air; or this pipe M may be omitted entirely,

For pumping, the shaft c is moved, and the pipe E becomes a suction-pipe, and water flows through it into the engine, and is discharged through the pipe F.

Operation: Water being let into the cylinder, it strikes one of the valves D, and propels it, with the piston C, around until the next valve D passes over the sector G, and is, by the spring z' and pins I. forced against the inner surface of the cylinder, and thus relieves the former valve by becoming the abutment of the inllowing Water and continuing the rotation of the piston. 'When this operation is repeated, by the arrival of a third valve, D, at the end g' of the sector G, and relief of the second valve, the rst valve has arrived opposite the exhaust-pipe F, discharged its contents, and passed upon the sector G, by which it is gradually pushed into its seat d. Before the fourth valve D has left the sector G the first valve is moved entirely into its seat, and caused to discharge its leakage-water, through the passage 7c and channel g3, into the general exhaust of the engine. This operation is repeated by every succeeding valve, and will be the same when steam is used, except no escape will take place through passages k land channels g3, these portions being either plugged or dispensed With entirely.

What I claim is- The rotary engine comprising in its con-4 struction a cylinder having its inlet and outlet pipes tangential to its periphery, a valved airinduction pipe in the induction-pipe of the cylinder, a single channeled eccentric sector, a rotary piston provided with sliding valves coupled together by spiral springs placed around stems of the valves, and separate leakpassages in the piston from the respective valve seats or ways to the main dischargechannel, the whole combined substantially as and for the purpose described.

ROBERT LEUcHsENnINe.

Witnesses:

JOB C. TRIPP, W. H. TABER. 

